Plans for a primary school in the town of Kalkallo have been rejected by Hume council after residents raised concerns about traffic the development might generate.
The applicant had proposed developing the school over the next seven years, increasing the number of students from 40 in the first year to 280 in the seventh.
It was proposed that it would comprise seven portable classrooms, an administrative office, toilet facilities, basketball and netball courts, playgrounds, a 40-space carpark and three bus bays.
The application drew objections from 28 residents, with the council also receiving a petition signed by 44 people.
Several residents fronted a recent council meeting to voice their concerns about the proposal. They said it would create more traffic than the town’s one-lane heritage Malcolm Street bridge could handle, would have a detrimental impact on the environment and would be located in an area without water, sewerage, shops, community facilities and public transport. Councillors voted to reject the application amid concerns it wasn’t an ideal site for a school.
A report to the council raised concerns about approving a primary school for the town before a development plan was created, with officers saying the school could affect how Kalkallo developed.
Council sustainable environment and assets department expressed concerns about the stress the school would place on the heritage bridge.
“The one-lane heritage bridge currently has an AM peak volume of 22 vehicles,” the report stated. “It is a one-way bridge and will not be able to accommodate the level of traffic proposed.
“The school’s projected traffic will significantly increase the daily volume on all surrounding roads … to a volume that will require road widening and upgrade of these [rural] roads.”
